Digital Cruelty, Realm of Trolls

NYT: Online posts run the gamut from barbs to sadistic antics by trolls who intentionally strive to distress or provoke. Trolls, who some researchers think could be mentally unbalanced, say the kinds of things that do not warrant deep introspection; their singular goal is to elicit pain. Trolls think of their online life “as a kind of game with rules and norms that don’t apply to everyday living,” he wrote, a game for which they do not feel responsible.

How to deal with it? Understand that you are ultimately in charge. “Nobody makes you feel anything,” said Professor Suler, adding that you are responsible for how you interpret and react to negative comments. The key is managing what psychologists refer to as involuntary attention.

Just as our attention naturally gravitates to loud noises and motion, our minds glom on to negative feedback. We respond more strongly to bad experiences and criticism, and that we remember them more vividly.

The following link list numerous ways to deal with hurtful comments of trolls.

The comments on news sites in particular are so nasty. I think the news industry did itself a disservice by letting people post anonymously. In print days the only way you had a letter to the editor published was with your name and town of residence, and they called you to verify your identity. People become a lot more irresponsible with their words when they can't be held accountable.

ShiftyJK08 saidIn print days the only way you had a letter to the editor published was with your name and town of residence, and they called you to verify your identity. People become a lot more irresponsible with their words when they can't be held accountable.

When I attend public meetings and choose to speak at the podium, the requirement is that we first say our name and address, to establish our identity & legitimacy, and a local interest in the issue being discussed. The news media is there, sometimes with TV cameras live or recording.

And yet I'm protective of my online identity. A lot of it has to do with security and hackers. My husband & I already have had breaches of our banking accounts, and been subject to identity theft.